Transmigrating into a book, seducing him to rise to power

Madam Su arrived at her daughter's courtyard early in the morning, her expression filled with excitement. She instructed Miaoxia to dress up her precious daughter properly today.

She stood to the side, giving instructions with a focused expression.

"Yaoyao, take your pick of these young men today. If you find one pleasing to the eye, we'll observe him for a while. There's no rush; you still have a year until your coming-of-age ceremony."

As Mrs. Su spoke, she gently stroked her daughter's hair, her eyes filled with emotion.

Time flies! Yao Yao will be of marriageable age soon.

She sighed softly, feeling both gratified and somewhat reluctant.

The gentlemen she invited today were all carefully and repeatedly selected by her. Their appearance, family background, and character have all been rigorously considered, and there are no problems with them.

She was quite satisfied with a few of them, such as the heir of the Marquis of Wu'an, since she and the Marquis of Wu'an's wife were close friends and she knew him very well.

And that hothead from the Qi family isn't bad either. After all, the Qi family is the Empress's maternal clan, with immense power, so they're a good match for the Su family.

However, Qi Yixu had heard that he had been training in the army and was not gentle enough, so he wondered if he would not be able to pamper his wife.

"Mother, I understand," Su Jingyao replied softly.

But to himself, he thought, "Too bad, your daughter has already been reserved by someone else."

Today, Madam Su is holding a banquet in a courtyard called "Begonia Spring" in the Su family mansion.

It is filled with crabapple blossoms of various colors. When a gentle breeze blows, the petals fall one after another, creating a breathtakingly beautiful and elegant place.

After carefully dressing up, Su Jingyao slowly walked towards Haitangchun.

She was the star of today's banquet, and the moment she walked in, her stunning beauty and graceful figure instantly drew everyone's attention.

Today, Su Jingyao wore a fitted fuchsia dress. The skirt flowed like a blooming flower as she walked. The sleeves were narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, perfectly outlining her graceful and slender figure.

She rarely wears makeup, but today her makeup perfectly complements the color of her dress. Her delicate eyebrows and bright red lips make her look exquisite, charming, and captivating.

When Si Nanyu saw her from afar, his eyes lit up instantly, reflecting surprise and amazement.

I hadn't seen her all year, and seeing her now gave me a strange feeling that a little girl had grown into a young woman in the blink of an eye.

So beautiful it's breathtaking.

While the other young masters hesitated due to etiquette and were still unsure whether to step forward, Si Nanyu did not hesitate at all, and strode forward to meet them.

"Miss Su, it's been a long time. You've become even more beautiful, more eye-catching than all the crabapple blossoms in this courtyard."

Si Nanyu was very enthusiastic, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration and adoration, and his voice rose slightly with excitement.

"The young master hasn't changed much."

Su Jingyao tilted her head slightly and responded with a gentle smile.

The moment Qi Yixu saw her, a surge of longing welled up in his heart, and he was eager to go find her.

However, he has grown a lot this year. He is no longer as straightforward and impulsive as before. He has learned to restrain himself and understands that being too straightforward may scare away the girl he likes.

He suppressed his inner impulse and stood still, his gaze always following Su Jingyao's figure.

Wang Xiuwen's expression was tinged with bitterness, his eyes dimmed, and he felt very disappointed.

His status was indeed vastly different from Miss Su's. He originally thought that as long as he and Miss Su appreciated each other, the difference in their status would not be a problem.

He firmly believed that he would become a high-ranking official in the future and provide Miss Su with a comfortable life.

But that year, Miss Su didn't go out to attend banquets; instead, he had more opportunities to see her.

However, as their contact increased, Wang Xiuwen suddenly realized that the distance between him and Miss Su was like an insurmountable chasm, completely impossible.

He was extremely excited when he happened to meet Miss Su at the Su residence that time, and his face was full of joy as he greeted Miss Su warmly.

He even discussed poetry with Miss Su again, filled with anticipation.

When Su Jingyao saw him, she secretly decided to make him give up completely this time, and calmly began to talk to Wang Xiuwen.

No matter what Wang Xiuwen said, Su Jingyao was determined to do the opposite of him.

For example, Wang Xiuwen said with deep emotion: "There are countless skilled painters in the world, but none can capture the essence of a sincere heart."

Su Jingyao smiled faintly and replied, "Who says you can't paint a picture of sadness? A painting can depict the human heart and follow the emotions of the world."

Seeing Wang Xiuwen's confident expression turn into embarrassment, Su Jingyao found it inexplicably amusing.

Didn't he always feel that they shared a common ground in poetry?

Today, we will shatter his illusions completely.

Afterwards, Wang Xiuwen seemed unwilling to give up, and the conversation turned to all sorts of things, and then he said a few more words.

For example, he said firmly, "Of all things, only studying is noble."

Su Jingyao immediately objected, saying, "Better to be a centurion than a scholar."

She even told him a story in vivid detail, explaining why she thought so.

Then Wang Xiuwen said with a touch of emotion, "Flowers may bloom again, but youth never returns."

Su Jingyao replied, "Who says life can't be young again? The stream in front of the door still flows westward."

......

Wang Xiuwen was rendered speechless by Su Jingyao's retort. Finally, he looked up at the sky and said helplessly, "The sunset is infinitely beautiful, but it is nearing dusk."

Su Jingyao retorted with, "Though the sun sets late, its afterglow still fills the sky."

Wang Xiuwen's face flushed slightly, and he opened his mouth but couldn't say anything.

Su Jingyao smiled gently and said, "Young Master Wang, I really didn't expect that we have such a big difference."

Su Jingyao herself didn't expect that she was a jerk.

Wang Xiuwen waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, no, Miss Su is very knowledgeable and her understanding is all correct. I was just being one-sided."

Su Jingyao raised an eyebrow.

She's been so ruthless in her criticism, how could he not understand? Looks like I need a strong dose of medicine.

"Young Master Wang, there's a saying that I think suits us well: 'We were moved by your noble spirit and thus became sworn brothers.'"

They're better suited to be friends.

Wang Xiuwen froze for a moment, his expression becoming even more awkward, and his smile appearing extremely forced.

"Miss Su, I understand."

Wang Xiuwen lowered his eyes slightly, realizing that he had been deluding himself all along.

Then he looked at Su Jingyao with sincere eyes and said, "I am the snow on the eaves, and you are a stunning traveler in the world."

Miss Su is so outstanding that he is not worthy of her.

His voice was filled with melancholy: "I am content to have had a heart-to-heart talk with Miss Su. I will take my leave now."

"Take care, Mr. Wang."

Su Jingyao watched his departing figure and sighed softly.

His thoughts suddenly returned, and Wang Xiuwen's gaze shifted from the distance to focus again on Miss Su, who was walking with the young master.

His eyes revealed an undisguised sense of loss.

Does Miss Su prefer the Crown Prince?

His expression grew increasingly dejected.

The prince comes from a prestigious family with a background that others can only dream of. He is also exceptionally cheerful and charming, making him a man who is very popular with women.

No wonder Miss Su likes it.

Whenever he discussed poetry with Miss Su, she usually couldn't bear to offend him.

Recalling those times, Wang Xiuwen's lips curled into a self-deprecating bitter smile.

Perhaps Miss Su was only being polite and well-mannered when she patiently communicated with him, while he mistakenly believed it to be a meeting of minds, a tacit understanding and resonance between them.

In retrospect, it was all just wishful thinking on my part.

Wang Xiuwen took a deep breath, trying to calm the turmoil in his heart, but the bitter feeling lingered and was hard to dispel.

-

From afar, Ye Yaqin, who was in the courtyard, saw Su Jingyao and the heir of the Marquis of Wu'an walking side by side, her eyes filled with suspicion.

Even the Crown Prince did not come today.

Didn't Su Jingyao secretly start a relationship with the Crown Prince a long time ago?

Why are they holding such a grand banquet now? What are they planning?

Ye Yaqin was completely baffled and felt very frustrated.

Noticing her unusual expression, An Jinyan asked softly, "Miss Ye, what are you thinking about?"

Ye Yaqin turned to look at her, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

It was An Jinyan who told her that the Crown Prince and Su Jingyao had an unusual relationship.

Ye Yaqin knew that An Jinyan wanted to use her to smear Su Jingyao, but putting aside whether she could do it, once the Crown Prince found out, she would have no chance of winning his favor, let alone marrying him.

However, Ye Yaqin did not want to do nothing. If the Empress and the Emperor found out that Su Jingyao was secretly seeing the Crown Prince, they would certainly not be kind to Su Jingyao.

There were members of the Ye family in the palace. Ye Yaqin had inadvertently revealed this to the Empress, but the Empress did not react at all, which left Ye Yaqin completely unsure of the thoughts of these people in power.

Could it be that the Empress already knew about the Crown Prince and Su Jingyao's affair?

Ye Yaqin became more and more confused as she thought about it, and her brows furrowed even more.

"Miss An, why do you think Miss Su is holding this banquet today?"

An Jinyan glanced at Su Jingyao, her heart filled with confusion, and her face even showing some indignation.

He's clearly already the crown prince, yet he's still putting on airs.

An Jinyan grew angrier the more she thought about it. Su Jingyao was like an impenetrable wall, seemingly impossible to find any weakness in, leaving her and Ye Yaqin with nowhere to attack.

An Jinyan originally wanted to ruin Su Jingyao's reputation by spreading the news that Su Jingyao would leave the mansion every half month to meet with men in secret.

However, this matter involves the Crown Prince, and Ye Yaqin neither dared to do it nor would she dare to.

So Ye Yaqin tested the Empress first, but the Empress did not react at all.

Who knows?

An Jinyan shrugged, her face full of frustration.

Ye Yaqin walked towards Su Jingyao, a gentle smile on her face.

"Miss Su looks radiant and beautiful today."

The smile seemed sincere, but there was a subtle calculation hidden in the eyes.

"Miss Ye has become increasingly gentle and dignified."

Su Jingyao remained expressionless and smiled as she replied.

"Miss Su, I heard that you had a conflict with Princess Minghui before, but you made up later. You even go to the princess's residence every half month and stay for a whole day."

Ye Yaqin's tone was gentle, yet carried a hint of aggressiveness.

"Why hasn't Princess Minghui come today?"

Ye Yaqin's words seemed to have a deeper meaning.

The other young masters were somewhat surprised when they heard this and began to whisper among themselves.

"Does Miss Su usually go out this often?" someone muttered quietly, their face full of doubt.

"What is it about this princess's residence that attracts Miss Su? That she can spend a day here?"

Another person echoed this sentiment, their eyes filled with suspicion.

"..."

Some even worse guesses remained unspoken, while strange glances were occasionally cast at Su Jingyao.